


Faded Blossom

by Aria Serif (Mysterie)



Series: Sentinaltale & AUs [17]
Category: Undertale
Genre: Gen, Undertale AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24661546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysterie/pseuds/Aria%20Serif
Summary: Secret Garden (c) EmpathPFlowerfell (c) SiviosaneiSentinaltale, Aria & Inky (c) Me
Series: Sentinaltale & AUs [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1726813





	1. Chapter 1

Did you ever have the feeling of being watched even when you knew there couldn't possibly be any other soul around... living or otherwise? I got that feeling, but for me I know I was the only one around because I live in the most empty place anyone can. The Anti-Void, I share my "home" with only about two others.... Error and Inky. Inky left for Underswap to chase Error again. So I know I was alone and yet... I had that uncanny sensation of being watched by someone. It was kinda creepy but also a bit comforting. The Sentinals believe Chara is finally out of the picture. I'm not 100 percent positive but so far things have been quiet so I'm hoping that it's true. With that done... I can finally get back to my plans. I can find a way out of here; I don't belong here. It's not that I'm not ungrateful or anything for all that Inky has done for me... but. It's too good for someone like me.

  
  
I don't deserve this. I should have died that night that I arrived in the multiverse months ago. I haven't had a chance to do this yet. I've not been left alone long enough to do more than plan. I found a new AU that is very sad... and yet so many have breathed life into its existence... there was even a song for it already. I can't help but sing it because I feel that I and that Frisk are alike... Feeling the inclination, I began to sing softly; reassured no one was nearby to hear...

  
  
He said  
  
"Oh Mary, contrary how does your garden grow?"  
"Come with me, and you'll be, the seventh maid in a row."  
My answer was laughter, soft as I lowered my head  
*you're too late, I'm afraid, this flower's already dead

  
  
Resetting as I was, with blossoms in full bloom  
(Blossoms in full bloom)  
Never a chance to pause with magic to consume  
(Magic to consume)  
A shadow walked behind me offering his hand  
But couldn't understand

  
  
He said  
  
"oh Mary, contrary how does your garden grow?"  
"come with me, and you'll be, the seventh maid in a row"  
My answer was laughter soft as I lowered my head  
*you're too late, I'm afraid, this flower's already dead

  
  
Scattering petals down the road without an end  
(Road without an end)  
Left on the battleground for one I called my friend  
(One I called my friend)  
Maybe he loved me as he took me by the hand  
And tried to understand

  
  
I said

  
  
"oh Mary, contrary how does your garden grow?"  
"stay with me, I can't see anywhere that we could go"  
Their answer was laughter as darkness swallowed them up  
*One more time, I'll be fine, sometimes kindness is enough

  
  
"oh Mary, contrary how does your garden grow?"  
"don't leave me, please don't be the seventh maid in a row"  
My answer a whisper soft as he lowered his head  
*set them free, I'm sorry, this flower's already dead


	2. Not Like Them

_Impossible. A word I used to think applied to me... but then I met you._ He thought as he hovered above her. It was something only one could pull off in the Anti-Void, she had looked around a few times but never up, oddly enough. It worked to his advantage though. His mouth shifted into a small smile, his left eye shifting to a soft pink upside down heart as he stared at her. It wasn't known to many but he was partly blind in that eye... except when something was close or it shifted with battle. Then he could see clearly. He wasn't sure why this was and it was something he'd hid well, or thought he did since he didn't jump or anything if someone approached him from the left. So he was sure his friend hadn't figured it out yet; not that he didn't trust her or anything, but there hadn't really been a good time to broach the subject. They'd been friends for a while now - he sighed. _Be honest with yourself Inky... she's not just another friend like Blue or Dream... or even any of the Frisks._ He withheld the quiet sigh that rose in his soul. Well, non-existent soul anyway. He didn't have a soul, just like Ink Sans; Ink Sans was a protector like himself and shared his likeness... or he shared his? It didn't matter. He was his own skeleton and he knew from what little Aria knew of his lookalike that they were almost nothing alike. At least not in personality or how they spent their time. Ink, he had learned, was a childish jerk of a guardian who whined about his losses rather than just learning from his mistakes to do better next time. Inky had felt the sheering pain of losing AUs more than he wished since he had awoken in the Anti-Void and become aware of the AUs themselves.

  
  
She had never been like anyone he'd ever met and he'd been watching the AUs a long time. He had been among the first to appear when the multiverse had only four worlds. That seemed like forever ago. Now there were hundreds upon hundreds. Each one was special to him, but not like her. He'd made friends and enemies alike. Error was the biggest pain in his side, but at the moment the two of them were alone so he could simply observe her as if they were the only two in the entire multiverse.... His eyes traced the flow of her hair even as it shifted along her back. She was quiet today. _So lovely.._ He sighed inwardly, one hand reaching for her... so near and yet still out of his reach. The hand drops. _What could I possibly offer her? I have no home... no soul.... I'm barely here thanks to threats like Error..._ Another sigh. He closed his eyes, an ache filling him; he wanted nothing more than to land next to her and pull her close, to run his fingers through her hair. He wanted to see if it was as soft as it looked, to drink in her scent and let it fill his senses. Maybe only hold her hand in his, feeling the warm flesh against his bones. He never took his gloves off but... for this chance he would. He remembered the feel of her arms around him that one day, what seemed like a lifetime ago, that after he had rescued her from Galaxy's castle she had broke down against him. 

  
  
He had felt a fierce ache then. He hadn't wanted to let her go, he wanted to protect her to... Yet another sigh. How could he do that? She deserved better than some nobody like him. She deserved someone who could give her a good life. Who could give her children. She was human, he was a monster; such pairings hardly ever went well and such hybrids were rare because of it. There was no doubt in his mind that she was more than just out of his league. She had been hurt. _Why can't it be me?_ _I would never hurt you like that... I'm not like those humans you left behind. I know you and yet... even with your smile, you won't let me or anyone else close. They don't see it, how forced your smile is, not even Classic seems to notice and he perfected the art of smiling through pain. Why can't you let me in? Can't you hear my silent pleas in every smile? Every glance, can't you see that I need you? Even if you cannot see how beautiful you are; how lovely it is to hear you sing... I'm the only one who hears you sing. Do you know? Is that why you sing so rarely? Why you are like the wild song bird in a cage? So afraid that someone will hear that you do not lift your voice to sing except when you feel you must? Or is it your soul that cries out? Why is it that every little thing I try to do, never seems enough? Can't you see how it hurts me to see you this way? To see you shy away from even the most casual of touch, like... like you're scared of me?_

  
  
He put his gloved hands to his cheeks even as he felt the tears beginning. Without a sound he curled into himself and used the end of the long scarf to dry his tears. How many times had he done this since he had rescued her? Since he had brought her back? How often had he been here to console her yet could not ask for it in return? He was scared she would reject him if he tried. He shook silently. It hurt. Even without a soul to feel. He hurt something fierce. It hurt every time he thought about it. It hurt just at the hint of thinking about it. _Why would she want me? I'm nothing but a failure... so many deaths... I can't even stop one single threat to the multiverse... I should be able to stop Error, but I can't... I'm worthless..._ The small skeleton curled up even further, sobbing soundlessly into the scarf. There was no one to comfort him, and the one who might didn't even know that he was only a few feet from her. _I'm not like the heroes in her stories... I can't save the day... I can't make everything right... I can't even cheer up the one who seems to need me the most. What good am I? Why do I exist? I don't deserve to live... I don't deserve her._


	3. Unshed Tears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It Doesn't Matter (c) Alison Krauss & Union Station

_It doesn't matter what I want  
It doesn't matter what I need  
It doesn't matter if I cry  
Don't matter if I bleed  
You've been on a road  
Don't know where it goes or where it leads_

_It doesn't matter what I want  
It doesn't matter what I need  
If you've made up your mind to go  
I won't beg you to stay  
You've been in a cage  
Throw you to the wind you fly away_

_It doesn't matter what I want_  
_It doesn't matter what I need_  
_It doesn't matter if I cry_  
_Doesn't matter if I bleed_  
_Feel the sting of tears_  
_Falling on this face you've loved for years_

  
  
Her voice was soft, and yet so sad. It made him want to cry. He allowed himself to lower to the "floor" of the Anti-Void. At the sound of her song he had felt even worse, but he'd wiped away his own tears for the moment. 

  
  
"Aria?" She whipped around, startled. Right, she hadn't known that he'd been there. Her expression was one of surprise.

  
  
"H... how long have you been there?" _Too long..._ He thought but didn't say so. 

  
  
"Um, well, long enough I suppose. You have such a vibrant voice... it's... like seeing the source colors." She flushed a little, her gaze dropping from his as it always did when he offered some sort of praise. 

  
  
"I-it's not that good." She murmurs and he felt that sensation ripple through him again. How many times had someone put her down? Had told her that she wasn't any good? He looked at her. How was he supposed to fight off an enemy that he could not see? This wasn't like when he fought with Error or their tussles with Chara. The enemy he was fighting here, he knew, was one that was out of his reach and in the past. Years of verbal abuse, of being alone, of having no one to turn to. Well, he was here now wasn't he? He had to do something, to find some way to change things for her; she deserved better. He settled down before her, crossing his legs like usual.

  
  
"Well, I like it." She didn't respond further. He wasn't really ever sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. There was so much he didn't know about her. She was like a puzzle for him sometimes, a broken one where a lot of the pieces were lost, hidden or even didn't seem to fit properly. There seemed to be so much to her. During one fight he had seen her soul when she had fought with Chara head on and he had wanted to weep at the sight of it. Yet, despite it, she had held her own in the battle. Not just then, but on several occasions as they had chased Chara through the timelines. He wasn't sure how many of them had been corrupted. Many had recovered, but there were plenty that did not. He wasn't sure how many, he hadn't really bothered to keep track of it; yet, he knew that it weighed heavily on her. She had broken down many times when a door had been destroyed... That she did when only he was around was telling. She trusted him, and yet, there was so much she seemed to still keep from him. He was not sure how deep her trust was in him.

  
  
He wondered just how fine of a line he walked with her. Did she trust him because he was a guardian or was her trust deeper than that? She had seemed to know of the AUs without him telling her of them and she seemed to almost always know when a new one appeared. He knew how this was, of course, but it still amazed him that she had such a thing at her disposal and she could so easily tap into new AUs like she did. She was so secretive. He didn't begrudge her that really, everyone had their secrets, but hers seemed so harmful. Not to anyone else, but to her and he could not seem to get her to speak of them or of the place she had left behind. He had asked her on more than one occasion about where she'd come from. Her answers had always been vague. The last time he'd asked she had responded with a question of her own.

  
_"It's not a place I would wish anyone I know of here to ever travel to."_

_  
"It can't be that bad surely."_

_  
"It can. Why do you want to know about where I come from?"_

_  
"Well, it is your home and I want to know more about it... about you."_

_  
"Heh." There was a bitterness to her laugh. "You don't want to know that much."_

_  
"Bu-"_

_  
"I'm not the human Frisk is. In fact, few are quite like Frisk... they are... exceptional, no matter what world they are in. Humans are the true monsters, Inky. Whether or not you want to believe it."_

_  
"They can't all be bad."_

  
  
She hadn't said anything more after that, as if she had nothing more to say on the subject, but the look she had given him... for a moment he had taken a step back in pure surprise. She had looked so... empty. As if the friend he knew had vanished for a moment and had been replaced by a doll. It had deeply shocked him. He had never seen **anyone** give such a look before and had been completely unprepared for it. Why was it when he thought he knew so much about her that it seemed he didn't really know her at all? She said she trusted him and she had proven to him that she did... but how deep was her trust? Why was it she seemed to withdraw when he tried to speak of what she'd left behind? Of what made her who she was? There was no doubt in his mind, there was something in her that needed fixing, something he was desperately trying to figure out but was like trying to put together a puzzle in complete darkness.


	4. Battlefield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dancetale (c) Teandstars and Sterrenschijnse  
> Inky, Aria, Sentinaltale, Spinner (c) Me

He wanted to see her smile again. Wasn't that what friends were for? To make sure that their friends smiled? At least, he was sure that was part of being a good friend.  
"I was thinking, maybe we could use a change of scenery." She didn't seem all that interested, but she didn't seem against the idea either.  
"C'mon. I think I know the perfect place." He held out a hand to her, hopeful. She seemed to hesitate before nodding and taking his hand. A hopeful smile lit up his features and she couldn't seem to stop the small, answering smile on her own features even if it didn't reach her eyes for the moment. He tugged her off a ways and let go of her hand for a moment, only long enough to paint the doorway. He then snagged her hand again and yanked her through. The cold of winter hit them, but that wasn't so unusual seeing as they were so close to Mount Ebott. The village was bustling as was expected, particularly with monsters; the chill in the air made her skin begin to turn a little pink, she was a human after all but those who were there only smiled and a few called out cheery greetings as Inky led her to the largest building in the center of town. There was little surprise that it was not only warmer inside but the sound of music filled the air.

  
  
"I know where we are." She couldn't help a bit of a smirk as a familiar figure twirled on stage on ballet shoes, a tutu flaring out even as her partner spun with her. The monster ambassador was dancing a salsa with one of her closest friends. Papyrus. Others were watching and cheering, including a skeleton in a blue hoodie, black slacks with a white stripe along the sides, and white sneakers. Although Sans didn't seem to be cheering, he was watching the pair intensely and almost didn't notice when Inky and Aria moved over to him.

  
"yo! Inky, Aria, come to join the party?" 

  
"Of course! I'm just glad we could make it on time." Sans nodded with a grin before clapping with the audience as the two finished their dance. 

  
"You getting up there?" Inky asked but Sans shook his head.

  
"haven't danced in years. i'm a little rusty."

  
"That's not a good reason. At least I have a more valid one." Sans tilted his head slightly, a gesture that was, for most skeleton monsters, a lot like raising an eyebrow.

  
"I'm not good at it. I can sing better than I dance." Sans chuckled a little.

  
"that's not a good reason either, but i can appreciate why you wouldn't want to after that." He gestured to the previous dancers.

  
"C'mon, we're here to have fun." Inky said and before she knew it, he had pulled her off to the side where there was a clear path where others were dancing. The current song that began to play had a good beat to it that allowed for dancing, of course she had no idea he could dance. It wasn't what one would call professional quality, but it wasn't bad either. She joined him for a few though she didn't push her luck, knowing that if she let the music take over her she might reveal too much... When a slow song came on for couples Inky took her over to the DJ. It was a blue spider monster, who seemed to be multitasking and doing so well; his name tag said 'Spinner.' He looked over at them when they approached.  
  
"Hey, is there a working mic?"

  
"Inky! What are you doing?"

  
"I want to hear you sing." She flushed a little. _Heh... that's kinda cute._ He brushed the thought aside.

  
"Yeah, I have one the lady can borrow. What song?"

  
"Mind if I pick?" She asks and the monster gestured to a black folder and she flipped through it. She didn't recognize many of the songs really but then she came across one she DID know and she pointed it out to the DJ.

  
"Do you have this one in karaoke?" Spinner nodded.

  
"I have 'em all as that, just lemme finish this one and then you can take the stage." Inky grinned.

  
"I'll be up there with ya."

  
"As what?" He shrugged.

  
"I wanna dance." Well if he wanted to do that she wasn't going to dissuade him. She began humming with the current song, even if it was a slow song, she was going to need to warm up her throat if she was going to do this or she'd have a sore throat by the time she was done. It had been such a long time since she'd sung something like this. When it was their turn she felt herself grow nervous, but she closed her eyes a moment, the song began as spoken, so it was a little confusing to those listening until she began to sing; there were already monsters dancing to the beat from the very beginning, not that she noticed as her voice rang out.  
  


_We are young, heartache to heartache we stand_   
_No promises, no demands, love is a battlefield_   
_Woah oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, we are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong_   
_Searching our hearts for so long, both of us knowing_   
_Love is a battlefield_

  
  
Something surged through her as she continued on, unaware Inky was watching her the entire time.

_You're making me to go, you're begging me stay_   
_Why do you hurt me so bad?_   
_It would help me to know_   
_Do I stand in your way, or am I the best thing you've had?_   
_Believe me, believe me, I can't tell you why_   
_But I'm trapped by your love, and I'm chained to your side_

  
  
The words seemed to ring with a sort of truth in her that she hadn't really paid much attention to until now. It was just a song though. Wasn't it? Then why did it feel so familiar? Why did it feel like so much more? Like it was true?

_We are young, heartache to heartache we stand_   
_No promises, no demands love is a battlefield_   
_We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong_   
_Searching our hearts for so long, both of us knowing_   
_Love is a battlefield_

  
  
She'd loved and lost more times than she wanted to think about. More than she ever wanted to remember. Love had always been a battlefield for her because in her world, she had gone so long without anyone who would reach out to love her outside her own family. She'd had no friends.

_And if I'm losing control will you turn me away or touch me deep inside?_   
_And before this gets old, will it still feel the same?_   
_There's no way this will die_   
_But if we get much closer, I could lose control_   
_And if your heart surrenders, you'll need me to hold_

  
  
A part of her seemed to be tugging at the back of her mind even as she sang. Would he? Was it even possible?   
  


_We are young, heartache to heartache we stand_   
_No promises, no demands, love is a battlefield_   
_We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong_   
_Searching our hearts for so long, both of us knowing_   
_Love is a battlefield_

  
No, it didn't seem likely. He didn't have a soul after all, but he wasn't exactly a lifeless puppet was he? Beyond all sense, all logic, or even all explanation... he moved, lived and breathed without a soul. Even as she took a breath between the last part to finish the song as she had a bit of time to catch her breath before it finished, she knew something inside was resonating with the song even though it shouldn't. Just like she shouldn't be here... it shouldn't be possible to be real... but it was.

_We are young, heartache to heartache we stand_   
_No promises, no demands love is a battlefield_   
_We are strong, no one can tell us we're wrong_   
_Searching our hearts for so long_

  
  
She felt that while she wasn't young, like the two lovers from the song, she felt as if she was in the position of the singer. Although she wasn't so sure that Inky even knew what love was. She sighed inwardly. The artist had wormed his way into her heart from the very day they had met...


	5. Heartless Whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Careless Whisper (c) Micheal George

_Why am I here?_ Even in a place full of happy monsters and cheery faces, nothing could stop the thoughts that nagged at the back of her mind. It was who she was, it was her curse to bear. _In a place where I don't have any family. Can I really call the few I know 'friend?'_ She excused herself from the dance to find something to drink. _Classic was more wary of me after I confided in him and I have lost track of time since then thanks to the Anti-Void, or... at least how long I was in the Anti-Void itself. Thanks to my phone I know I've been in the multiverse itself only a few months, but it feels longer than that and their days and nights seem to move at a faster pace than back home. At least, in some places it does; others it seems to move slower. I suppose for now, it doesn't truly matter as long as he is happy._ Wait. When did that matter so much? She had always cared about her friends, those she called friend anyway, and she counted him as a friend. Just a friend, right? Why wasn't she sure about tha- _Oh no... I can't. He can't even feel real emotions! Oh sweet heaven, I... I have a crush on Inky. No, that's not right. Be honest with yourself. You're in love with a skeleton._ She stared at her drink as she sat down at a table, catching her breath from that last dance number, but as she took a slow drink she flicked her gaze towards him as he joined her. _How can I love someone who can't love me back?_ She considered the thought a long moment, pretending to watch Foxtrot, the Sans of this world, talk with Frisk and how he shifted.

  
  
_Oh my... Heh, seems the popular "Frans" shipping is alive and well here. I wonder if he knows it._  
"You see it too, don't you?" I nearly jumped as the sound of Inky's voice was next to my right ear suddenly. I swallowed, I felt my cheeks heat and the sound of my own heartbeat seemed to begin to echo in my ears and nearly drown out the music. I don't know how I managed to stay so calm.

  
"If you mean that Foxtrot is head over heels in love with Frisk then yes."

  
"Yeah... not quite. I meant how she's been flirting with him, but he hasn't noticed."

  
"Pfft, he's been flirting back but I don't think **she** has noticed, but I see it now." It seemed apparent to anyone who was watching them, except the two themselves. In a place where dance excelled and pulsed with magic, this was a dance that was as old as time itself. Telegraphing between the two; it was in the way she brushed back hair that didn't need to be pushed out of the way, how his head tilted towards her so that their conversation would seem private and give off a vibe of 'don't get close, this is personal.' How she leaned in a little, as if his voice was a whisper sometimes. The way he seemed so relaxed, his entire body seeming pointed at her, a light touch to an arm or a shoulder as he spoke. Watching them made her heart throb. She envied them, at the same time, she was happy for them. Watching love bloom between the two called to mind several things from her past; things she longed for, things she had been constantly denied again and again... and a painful yet warm reminder of the one who was so close and yet so far from her reach. She closed her eyes a moment. The song just happened to change then, she almost laughed when she recognized it; it was a song she knew well. After all the songs that she did not know and having only noticed one before that she had when Inky had asked her to sing... it surprised her that there was another she knew. 

  
  
She closed her eyes, unaware that her tone had changed as she began to sing. This song was about love, but it was not a happy one. 

  
  
_Whoa oh oh oh oh  
_

_I feel so unsure  
As I take your hand and lead you to the dance floor  
As the music dies, something in your eyes  
Calls to mind the silver screen  
And all its sad good-byes_

_I'm never gonna dance again  
Guilty feet have got no rhythm  
Though it's easy to pretend  
I know you're not a fool_

_Should've known better than to cheat a friend  
And waste the chance that I've been given  
So I'm never gonna dance again  
The way I danced with you_

_  
  
_ _Whoa oh_

_  
  
_She was so into the song, that even when she opened her eyes she did not see the look in his eyes nor the intensity.

_Time can never mend  
The careless whispers of a good friend  
To the heart and mind  
Ignorance is kind  
There's no comfort in the truth  
Pain is all you'll find_

_I'm never gonna dance again  
Guilty feet have got no rhythm  
Though it's easy to pretend  
I know you're not a fool_

_I should've known better than to cheat a friend  
And waste the chance that I've been given  
So I'm never gonna dance again  
The way I danced with you  
_

_Never without your love_

  
  
Even as the words left her, she felt an ache. Remembering so many times she had reached out, asking for another heart to echo in a song of love only to lose it. The pain swelled in her, as she recalled the last one who had spoken words of love to her that had only been hollow, parroted words. There had been no meaning behind them, simply being words that had been practiced; expected and nothing more. There was no show of warmth beyond some need of physical contact that he'd forced on her...

_Tonight the music seems so loud_  
_I wish that we could lose this crowd_  
_Maybe it's better this way_  
_We'd hurt each other with the things we'd want to say_

  
  
With that line, she recalled the fights they'd had... the hurt that had festered at the lack of understanding. The lack of truly caring.

_We could have been so good together  
We could have lived this dance forever  
But no one's gonna dance with me  
Please stay_

_And I'm never gonna dance again  
Guilty feet have got no rhythm  
Though it's easy to pretend  
I know you're not a fool_

_Should've known better than to cheat a friend  
And waste the chance that I've been given  
So I'm never gonna dance again  
The way I danced with you_

_(Now that you're gone) Now that you're gone_  
(Now that you're gone) What I did's so wrong, so wrong  
That you had to leave me alone


	6. Soulless Struggle

She had seemed so cheerful moments ago, now she seemed to not want to look at him; what had happened to suddenly shift her mood like that? This was his problem, it was like something was constantly undermining all of his effort to show her how things could be; if only she would open up to him, trust him with who she was. He saw her take a sip, her gaze flickered to him though he pretended to not notice, to not be watching her. The last thing the artist wanted was to scare her off with his attentions; he wanted to be the one she went to when she needed something, he felt it deep within. _Maybe I don't have a soul... but I have never had this feeling before. None of the vials I have with me have ever given me this. Not even when I mixed them... Is this what love is? It hurts but at the same time... I don't want it to go away. I don't want to lose her. Monster relations with humans though are still on such unstable ground even in the pacifist timelines._ He noticed then she was watching someone, that someone was Frisk and the Sans of this universe. He almost grinned when he noticed the two were standing so close; he had noticed this earlier. Foxtrot, as he was called, was the only monster who refused to dance. It wasn't healthy for his soul of course, but Inky knew that while he didn't dance with a partner he _did_ dance... just only in private, away from prying eyes, and yet he wondered if that would change soon. Dancing here wasn't just something done for fun, it was a way to connect with other souls, whether intimately or just on a day to day association with friends and loved ones. He moved over to settle by her side, keeping his voice low as he whispered just loud enough to be heard by her.

  
  
"You see it too, don't you?" He noticed her cheeks seemed a little flushed, was that because she was still warm from all the excitement of the last dance or was it something else? He didn't dare hope she felt what he felt in that moment, but he could dream couldn't he? Pretend that she was like Frisk over there, that if he put his fingers to that spot on her neck he would feel her heart racing just because he was close... 

  
"If you mean that Foxtrot is head over heels in love with Frisk then yes."

  
"Yeah... not quite. I meant how she's been flirting with him, but he hasn't noticed."

  
"Pfft, he's been flirting back but I don't think **she** has noticed, but I see it now." It seemed apparent to anyone who was watching them, except the two themselves. He wasn't paying any particular attention to them however, he was trying to gauge her reaction. Her voice was calm but it was hard to tell anything else for certain in the dim light of the place. There was just enough light to see but also so little so that during slow songs it could be cozy and intimate. He wasn't innocent, he knew about dating; real dating, not just the stuff that Classic's brother knew from that book. He might look young and, occasionally, act like it but he certainly was not a child. Thing was, he knew she knew about his childish counterpart; could he prove he wasn't like that and have her see him as a man instead of a boy? Well, he hadn't been studying for nothing. As a new song began to play he saw her close her eyes. Did she know this song too?

  
  
It turned out that she did, his eyelights shifted to focus on her as she began to sing with the song. The sound of her voice, it was one that always drew his attention and the lyrics... he felt an ache grow as he watched her. There was something in her voice that made him catch his breath. As her eyes opened he saw how hazy they were; she was remembering something, he was certain. There was such feeling in her tone. An almost rawness to it that spoke of a pain she had never put to words. He wanted to put his arms around her, to reassure her that he wasn't like them; he would never hurt her like that. _When did this happen? When did I start feeling like this?_ He found he couldn't really remember when it had began; just that he knew he wanted to spend time by her side; whether it was helping the AUs or something as simple as just resting next to her after a fight with Error or Galaxy. It really didn't matter when it happened anyway. His focus was solely on her in that moment as she finished the song. It was a sad one and he could hear it in her voice and there was something in her eyes, too, that sent a shiver through him. A rather unpleasant one. How much had she suffered in the world she had lived in? Was the place she had come from truly so bad? He didn't know, because she would never speak of it really except in vague answers to any questions he might have. He really did want to know, he wanted to know everything about her; he knew certain things by now like what she liked to eat and her favorite colors, but he didn't know anything on more personal level. He didn't know what her life had been like, didn't know if she had any family or friends who would miss her, but by the way she acted on the topic he had a feeling she really didn't. That she might as well have been an orphan with as little as she spoke about the topic of family. 

  
Was her world so bad that she couldn't trust him? How could he gain her trust? _What will it take to get you to see me? Not just as a friend... but as someone you can rely on? Someone who won't let you down? Who won't hurt you?_ He found his hand on one of hers before he'd really even known that he'd moved. The smile on her lips didn't reach her eyes and he felt something inside of him contract painfully. He hated seeing her this way. _I want to see you smile, truly smile... to see your eyes sparkle with happiness. Can't you see how much you mean to me? Even though I barely know you, there's just something in me that longs to take care of you._ He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him. That she was the brightest star in the multiverse, that she was so radiant when she smiled and her laughter was like the soothing sound of waves against the sand... Her presence was like warm coco after a day in Snowdin and that, like the ink that ran from his brush, she brightened up whatever she touched and left it better than it was before. There were so many other things that he wanted to say, but not a single one of them left him even as he returned her smile with one of his own. Words weren't the only thing he wanted to give her. He wished that he could give her the worlds, to shower her in all of its treasures and show her just how much he truly treasured her. To soothe her fears and rekindle the spark of lost dreams, to pull her close to him and run his fingers through her hair and see if her lips really were as soft as they looked to be. To give her all the things she deserved and so much more. Easing away all the pains of the past and giving her hope for the future. He glanced away, easing his hand from hers. _She deserves better... deserves more than I can give..._


	7. Cracks

She rubbed her eyes. Great. She'd woke up crying again. At least Inky didn't seem to be around to notice. Not that he had been before but she didn't want to burden him with her problems. _Not that I'm good for anything. I never was. I failed as a human, I could barely even hold down a job to make a living and I didn't really even like the job... nothing I liked doing ever amounted anything and I was never really any good at it anyway. Why am I still here? Why am I still alive? Why can't I just die already? At least then I wouldn't be a bother to anyone and Inky wouldn't have to worry about some useless nobody._ She sat up, scrubbing the tears away as she pulled her legs in close and put her arms around them, resting her head against them. _I don't deserve to be here. He did nothing to deserve having to put up with me... I have nothing to offer him... and he's so perfect... So kind to me anyways... He's such a good friend... Like none that I ever had back home. I did nothing to deserve him. Why didn't he just forget about me when I was with Galaxy? Why did he bother? I'm not worth saving. So useless... I can't even die like I'm supposed to! Why can't I die? Is this hell? Is that it? Is this supposed to be my personal hell? To be taunted with everything I wanted? I guess I deserve that... I never did do any good anyway. I never amounted to anything. Just another waste of space. Like a fading flower waiting to be clipped from the healthy bush..._ She just sat there, a quiet crackling almost echoing in the silence despite how soft it was. Eventually there was nothing but silence again. She didn't notice that someone was watching her from a distance.

  
  
The mismatched eyes regarding her. The sound of something cracking the Anti-Void had roused the glitched skeleton from his slumber and he had gone to investigate. It was strange, to him, seeing the human huddled like that. The same human that had managed to tear from his grasp the monster he'd brought back to be "company" from Underswap. She had been fearless in the face of his threats, granted, she'd had Inky nearby but even when the artist was gone she never showed any fear around him. He'd threatened time and again to crush her soul. It had never happened because Inky had always interfered, but even then she had only scoffed at his threats. As if she didn't fear death like a normal human. There was something wrong with her. He knew this from all the times he'd observed her. Oh he'd had chances before like now to sneak up on her and simply carry out his threat to destroy her soul... but where was the fun in that? Especially when it was made too easy. That was boring. He knew he'd get around to destroying her eventually, but he might as well enjoy it while he could; after all, his own soul was the last he'd destroy. He wasn't thinking about that now as he walked along the high wire of his strings just above her. What was it this time? What had made that noise he had heard? He didn't see anything around. Had she been doing that annoying thing of cracking her joints? Was that it? She had done that on some occasions. Why was she just sitting there? Surely she'd noticed his presence by now. She usually seemed to have a sixth sense about those things and often looked about even if he was above her and out of sight thanks to his strings. 

  
  
He dropped down a few feet behind her. She didn't move. Didn't lift her head. Didn't seem to respond to him being so close; if he didn't hate being touched he'd poke her. So instead he wrapped his strings around her soul to get a response; normally she'd at least look at him, but she didn't. Was she dead? No, that didn't seem right. Dead humans didn't have a soul to latch onto. He turned his attention to the soul the strings were wrapped around. It looked like a jigsaw puzzle that didn't quite fit. There were pieces of it missing. Any soul, or monster soul anyway, in this poor of a state would have shattered long ago. Was it always that dull of a color? Was this how humans died naturally? Their souls slowly decaying to a state of ill repair before shattering? He shoved aside the thoughts. Why should he care how a human naturally died? Let alone this one who had been so insufferable from the moment she'd arrived. Just another thorn in his side, just like Star. He tugged at the strings. The soul seemed to shudder, but its owner didn't even so much as squeak. The strings fell away. Not that he care about her, but this was just really strange. The humans he'd fought with always put up some sort of a fight, even those who were pacifists had reacted... at the very least. He considered saying something, but nothing seemed to come to mind. Did Inky know she was acting strange? Well, whatever. Not like that insufferable skeleton was an expert on humans. He debated his next actions before walking off. He had worlds to destroy. One measly, unresponsive human wasn't really any of his concern and if she were comatose then so much the better for him; it meant she wouldn't cause anymore trouble and he could kill her when he felt like it.

  
  
She knew he was there and she knew when he left; she simply could not muster up the will to care. Not even with the strings had tightened around her soul. She had only sat there, hoping the other skeleton would just do it already and destroy what pathetic thing her soul was. But no, after a lack of response from her, the strings had disappeared and so had their owner. It seemed she wasn't even worth the effort of killing. Not that she'd ever make the mistake of thinking that Error actually cared about her. The only thing that one cared about, she knew, was destroying the AUs; or, as he often called them, the "glitches" of the universe. He believed that only the Alpha Timeline had the right to exist. That every other timeline or universe should be destroyed. It was beyond the normal nihilistic views of most Sans as he actually _did_ go out of his way to destroy worlds. Underswap was all but empty because of him; if she actually bothered to think about it, destroying worlds was a lot of work and effort. Aside from Inky and Galaxy, Error was likely one of the busiest Sans around. Her body shook a little, she felt sick; not just physically either. She closed her eyes as it swept over her like a wave over a sandy beach. Inescapable, all encompassing; pain beyond anything words could describe. She couldn't utter a sound of distress even if she wanted to as it was so intense; the feeling of bile stirring in her made her wonder if she was going to throw up what she'd eaten the evening before. Nope, that didn't happen, but it still felt like it might. Tremors didn't help things and she could no longer form thoughts, the pain of it all was too much. Helpless in its grasp and all alone, she simply flopped on her side, waiting for it to pass... or to pass out. One of the two would eventually happen as she squeezed her eyes shut. In the end, the darkness claimed her mind.


	8. Out of the Darkness

  
_Rise. Be strong. The Shadows are stirring. Wake up. You are needed._ Where was she? Why was it so dark? 

  
"Huh? Wha? Who...?" 

  
_Does it matter?_

  
"You... you're the one who sent me here, didn't you?" She looked around, but could see nothing. 

  
_Yes. I brought you here for a reason._

  
"Why me? I'm so useless. I don't have any power, my soul is at its end. Why me?"

  
_You remember, do you not? "... the kindest of hearts have known the worst suffering."_

  
"I... no. I don't remember. At least... nothing beyond that. Why is that important?"

  
_It is who you are. Who they need you to be. You suffered. Have suffered. Still are. This is a part of you, a part of your genetic make up and has been since birth, but... this is not a weakness. It is your strength. You have a power no one else does._

  
"I... there's no way. I don't understand. I'm just... me. I'm no one special." 

  
_You are destined to be more. Destiny is a funny thing, it's not something someone makes for us, but what we - ourselves - choose._

  
"Then why didn't I die when I chose to? Why did you bring me here instead?" 

  
_You are needed. You did not die because you are Perseverance. The steadfast. You embody it in every single way possible for you have had your world shaken, morality broken, heart broken, you lost innocence before you were meant to and you see the truth of the world. Of how things are, but this makes it difficult for you to see how things can be. You will be a light to someone who badly needs that light to survive. Someone who will know suffering beyond what any should. You must be there to prevent that light from going out. You will light each other's way._

  
"Light each other's.... you... You don't mean Inky do you?" 

  
_That would be telling. Now wouldn't it?_

  
  
"Who is it then?! Tell me! Please! This isn't fair!"

  
_Whoever said life was fair? You know this just as well as I do._

  
"Who are you?" 

  
_Heh... that again. I do not think you would believe me if I told you. I can and will tell you this, however, Aria. What you thought would be... will not and what you believe is not always true. Times are hard now and will be harder still. You will face everything you fear and find new fears as you go on. You will face things you would not have had you stayed where you are... but you will also make a difference beyond what anyone else can or will do. Because you WILL do it. You have the heart to save them. To be the Savior they so desperately need you to be. You will come to understand in time just how much you are needed._

  
She stared into the darkness. She was needed? Aria sighed into the place of... wherever this was supposed to be. There were so many questions now and so few answers. Why hadn't they identified themselves? Why had the voice sounded SO familiar? Like she knew it as intimately as she knew her own name? She shook the thought away and began to focus on what she did know. The darkness gave way to the vast white she was used to.   
_Was that... just a dream?_ She felt something humming inside her that told her the truth of things; she had not had a dream like that since before she'd come to the multiverse. She had connected with other souls when she'd been ho- no. That place was no longer home. It never would be again. She stood and felt something rise inside her. It vibrated in her very core. Something was happening. Was about to happen. She could feel it, like a spider felt vibrations along its web. Someone was calling for help and she felt her soul resonate to answer the call.

  
  
"Inky!" She turned and was nearly bowled over when she saw that he had jumped to his feet. Apparently he had been a few feet away working on something. He turned to her.

  
"What is it?" 

  
"Something is happening. Someone needs us." She didn't comment on it, but there was no missing the sparkle in his eyelights at her words. What was that about? She dismissed it.

  
"Where?" She closed her eyes a moment and focused, using the call as the pinpoint to draw open a portal to... Underfell?! He seemed stunned when she'd opened her eyes.

  
"Let's go!" 

  
"Right!" She leapt forward only to roll to her left to avoid bones while Inky rolled off to the right.

  
"Red! What the heck?!" Aria called out.

  
"Aria? Inky?" Before he could say anymore, a voice made the two of them spin around. It was not a voice they had ever wanted to hear again...

  
"Well, well, well. So it seems you've finally caught on. Heh, did you _really_ think I'd go down so easy?" The three stared at the figure that emerged from the shadows of the nearby tree line. A sharp blade glistened in the low light of the Underground. The chill in the air was barely noticed by the trio as **he** stepped forward.

  
"Heh, did you miss me? By the look on your faces, I'd say you did." 

  
"yeah, but my aim's gettin' better." Red smirked, causing a scowl to fall across the features of the not-so-young man before them. 

  
"Chara... it's time to bring your reign of terror to an end."

  
"I disagree! I've only really begun and you gave me the doorway I've been looking for! I have you to thank for that!" _Damn it! I screwed up again! Now the multiverse must face him... as if there weren't enough problems in the multiverse already._

  
 **"Let's get this party started!"** Aria's eyes flashed as she summoned her magic, Inky gripped his brush and Red summoned his blasters, their eyes as red as his one that shone. With a defiant cry the three leapt forward even as Chara grinned at them. Red eyes flashing with malevolent joy...


End file.
